Author´s notes: From your reviews, I get the feeling you enjoyed the last chapter… thanks for that! I loved writing it. And here you have the long-awaited date! Be happy, guys… they´re definitely going to get some action soon! And some dialogue between Meg and Christine now... plus Erik´s reaction to the stockings!
And Nota Lone – the score is appropriate. Very appropriate
Anyway, a reply just to PersonageoftheUnderverse – um, I´m not sure what you meant to say, because you said: "Start, please." with the plural form of "you" in the "please". I take it you meant "Continue, please". Not to lecture you, but continue is continuez and the please… well, I don't know enough French to be able to explain that ;-P
And Z. – close enough to MotN. :-))))))
X X X
Chapter 16 – the Date of No Return
X X X X
Riding in the carriage back to the Opera was slightly more cheerful than the ride to the cemetery, for various reasons, the primary being that Christine was sitting in the front this time, alongside Erik, and even though they weren't talking just yet, she could tell he was quite pleased with how the situation ended.
Still, what they were supposed to have been doing in the mausoleum was also an attractive prospect.
In the end, they returned to the lair, leaving the carriage and horses exactly where they found it, virtually untouched. Christine only went to her room for a moment to change into something less black – despite the fact that a) she liked the color, b) they would now be in harmony when it came to colors and c) in this dress, she could rival Meg´s masquerade outfit in the cleavage wars, and for once, it would be an advantage.
Nevertheless, even the modern part of her was modest, and she didn't want to appear overeager or desperate. She was Christine – she had time. Besides, in these archaic days, it was up to him to make the first move. She had to wait until an open declaration of love before she could come up with more than an embrace… though even that was good for now.
Eventually, searching her wardrobe for something pleasant enough, she went for a light blue dress that went well with her hair, with some nice flowery embroidery… forget-me-nots, probably. She tied some of her hair back with the nearest black ribbon, put on a pleasant smile and descended into the lair.
Erik was waiting for her just down the corridor, though she pretty much knew her way by now. Still, she smiled. He was always very polite… UNLIKE Raoul, so unlike Raoul. Perhaps that was the reason she liked him much, much more than the fop.
Once they got out of the boat, Christine found everything prepared for her arrival, so prepared that Erik might have been expecting the royal families of the world to arrive with her. As a perfectionist herself, she appreciated that very much.
They sat down – Christine felt like in a high-class restaurant – and she began to eat the rich meal Erik laid in front of her. It was quite exotic, but she could feel that the ingredients weren't unfamiliar to her. She ate slowly, remembering that her mom always said that the French eat for hours, simply enjoying the food.
After a minute, she looked up, seeing that Erik was watching her intensely, but he hadn't even touched any of the food. Now either that was because he was too anxious about the whole situation or because he was truly as anorectic as some people described him.
"You aren't going to eat, Erik?" Christine asked.
He shook his head a bit. "I scarcely eat, Christine."
Christine decided that further questions were unnecessary and uncalled for. "That´s too bad, because it´s delicious."
"Thank you, my dear. I wasn't certain if Asian food would be to your liking." He said with a slight smile. Christine smiled as well and resumed eating, but also decided that she shouldn't simply abandon the conversation. She was rid of the need to be the one to start when Erik said: "Warriors do need their strength, however."
She nearly laughed, but compromised with raising an eyebrow in amusement. "Warriors?"
"Indeed, that display at Perros puts Joan d´Arc to shame."
"I hope you don't mind me borrowing your weapon at the time." Christine noted with a slight blush. She looked back into her plate, because if she looked at him again, she was certain tomatoes would be colorless compared to her.
"It was quite useless to me at the time, so I´d say I don't mind." He paused for a moment, observing her still. "I admit that your quick thinking is very impressive, Christine."
"Thank you, Erik." she said quietly. She didn't really want to discuss the thrilling feeling of having avenged the Phantom community somewhat with that one blow.
She ate quicker than she expected and left some food on her plate, just as she remembered again her mom said was a custom that showed that you liked the food. Smiling, Christine asked: "Are we going to practice Don Juan today?"
"If you are ready, we can practice even now." Erik said, motioning to the music room. Christine stood up and attempted to help him with putting the food away and collecting the cutlery, but the half-thankful, half-amused look he gave her signaled that she was to leave it and go to the music room. With a defeated sigh, she proceeded there.
Erik arrived only minutes later, holding out a pair of stockings to her. Christine felt herself flush as he said: "I believe these are yours." She shrugged innocently, explained that she must have been uncomfortable in her sleep and had kicked them off by accident. Nevertheless, she took them.
She wasn't sure if he believed her or if the faint glitter in his eyes was to be trusted, but almost without even looking at her again, he proceeded to the organ. Bracing herself for a hard lesson and remembering all she knew about singing, Christine opened her mouth and began with the breathing exercises. Majors and minors followed, several arias from other operas she didn't even know she knew and then, finally, Erik seemed to produce the score of Don Juan from nowhere.
It was much harder than she expected, and by the time she got past one aria, she felt tired. Not as much from singing as by avoiding even looking at him, because she was aware what would happen afterwards. Even her willpower wasn't that strong.
"Point of No Return." Erik announced shortly afterwards, and Christine gritted her teeth. She sang the song the best she could, constantly reminding herself that she was not supposed to be focusing on ideas about the two of them plus the swan/peacock/whatever bed in the same thought.
At least he wasn't going to sing with her.
"You aren't being passionate enough, Christine!" she was reminded that for about the zillionth time. She drew a breath. Alright, it was time to focus on precisely those fantasies.
She was pushing her luck, she knew, but she had to try it, in order not to faint on-stage when they would be performing this. After the first line of the song, she turned and looked directly into his eyes. She faintly heard a change in her high soprano, a change that she both liked and feared a bit.
However, that was really nothing compared to the change she noticed in Erik´s eyes, which now signaled great passion, nearly uncontrolled lust, and, clouded by these, but still present, pure love.
Past the point of no return
no going back now
our passion-play has now, at last, begun
Past all thought of right or wrong
one final question:
how long should we two wait, before we're one?
In the corner of her mind, a thought came to her – Amanda would be very proud of her. The thought made her laugh mentally and brought a smile to her face, a smile that morphed into something dark when she continued to sing.
When will the blood begin to race
the sleeping bud burst into bloom?
When will the flames, at last, consume us?
Christine´s mind was screaming at her that she has to control herself. It was hard, especially since she was constantly looking at Erik, giving all the passion from the phangirl phantasies she could muster into her voice and really eager to make those phantasies a reality.
Past the point of no return…
the final threshold -
the bridge is crossed
so stand and watch it burn
We've passed the point of no return...
Her voice faded away into nothingness… the only thing that did, anyway. Christine had to admire his willpower in this situation – any guy she knew in the 21st century would probably react quite wildly. This must have had a similar effect on him as if she would have jumped into the bed herself and claimed that she wanted him immediately.
Erik looked away from her, glanced at the ground for a moment and gripped the edge of the organ so tightly, it was surprising it didn't crack. Christine herself was panting a bit, partially because it was a tough song, but mostly because she was now fighting the fantasies again. And she was having a hard time.
"Erik?" she asked in a low voice she had never heard escape her mouth. "What is wrong?"
"Christine." He closed his eyes almost forcefully. "Go."
"What?"
"Go. Now." Erik repeated, his grip tightening.
Christine took a step back. She was positively sure that if she would stay, those fantasies would become reality… but probably not in the way she imagined them. Gathering up her skirts and ignoring any ladylike manners, she sprinted to the boat and seized the pole, rowing herself to the other side of the lake.
X X X
When Christine came to watch ballet practice, since she wanted to wait for Meg, she witnessed a furious argument. Meg liked her costume, despite its abnormal cleavage exposure, and Madame Giry was yelling at her. In the end, Meg said that it was in the instructions, so Madame Giry stalked off, giving Christine only a gruff greeting before vanishing.
Meg beamed and hopped on the spot for a moment before she bounced to Christine. "I´m beginning to like Don Juan! The dress is good, and with the character I´m playing, who´s going to wonder why I´m wearing it?"
Christine laughed. "You ain´t showing nothing we haven't seen at the masquerade."
"True." She then remembered. "So how was WYWSHA?" When Christine explained what had happened at the graveyard, she burst into a fit of hysterical laughter and nearly doubled over. "Wonderful!" she congratulated her friend. Once she finished with what had happened later, Meg grinned. "Ooh, someone´s getting horny!"
Christine rolled her eyes. "As if you wouldn't be."
"Not you, him!" Meg said with a shark-like smile. "Excellent!"
"Minus the fact that he practically threw me off the premises." Christine added.
"Well, he´s a gentleman! Not like that idiot Leroux." Meg muttered darkly.
"Speaking of him, what about you and him?" Christine inquired with a smirk.
Meg waved her hand, dismissing that. "No-go. I didn't even get as far as you did with the hugging. You should know that he´s getting quite interested in you."
"Me?" Christine repeated, astonished.
"Yep, O.G. business-wise, of course. Still, I might tighten his leash a bit. Well, I did already." Meg grinned, "But it never hurts to remind him who´s boss."
After laughing, Christine asked: "So, we need to discuss strategy for PonR."
"Not here and not now, Chris." Meg said, "No idea who might be listening in. besides, you need to play the ingénue, so you have to have no idea why he looked like he would like to rip your clothes off and make wild, passionate love to you."
"The naivety of ingénues knows no borders." Christine said, shaking her head.
